Essay Example on Etiquette: The Social Rules of Harmonious Interactions

Introduction

Etiquette could be defined as the present social rules and regulations that govern how individuals interact with each other and classify particular behavior as either socially acceptable or unacceptable. Etiquette plays an essential role in regulating how people relate to each other in the social setting thereby promoting and cultivating grounds for harmonious social interactions. Etiquette is closely related to morals and ethics in that the three disciplines are more involved in the determination of what is right or wrong regarding conventional social behavior.

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Etiquette and the social setting

Various societies may have different approaches to etiquette related issues. For instance between Japan and the US, various etiquette observations vary widely. While Japan is more culturally oriented, the US is more freedom of personal space advocacy (Dunn and Cynthia, 3643-3654). These significant differences in the cultures may affect how members of the above communities interact with each other. Etiquette may be applied in various settings when it comes to the social sphere of interaction. For instance, there are certain aspects of our day to day living that society has established conventional ground rules regarding how we ought to go about such cases (Martin, Jeanette, and Lillian, 2012). For example, when a young individual gives up their seat on the subway for an elderly individual or an expectant lady, this is a form of etiquette that could be categorized as personal etiquette. Consequently, in the business setting, there are specific rules and regulations besides those stipulated by the rule of law that facilitate the efficient and smooth running of business activities. In this article, we are going to pay special attention to non-verbal business etiquette and the critical role that the area plays in the field of business.

What is non-verbal communication?

Non-verbal communication may get referred to as a way in which information or a message is passed without speaking. Instead, other body language impressions such as smiling, nodding, winking among other cues are utilized. In the business setting, there is the constant interaction with clients and fellow staff members' scenarios which may require the application of some non-verbal etiquette skills to increase the productivity of these interactions. The reason as to why business etiquette is of paramount importance in the business setting is that etiquette is essential for the success of any enterprise. Clients will want to be served in an institution where they feel both homely and valued. As a result, it is necessary to cultivate a business etiquette culture in your workplace that will ensure the success of your specific enterprise.

Attaining non-verbal etiquette in the business setting

One way in which non-verbal business etiquette could get achieved is by quietly smiling to the clients or other colleagues around you. In both the US and Japanese culture, smiling is an etiquette practice that elucidates hospitality and approachability. Through smiling, one appears to be friendlier, and clients will feel free to come and ask for help or any other inquiries that they may have concerning the services that you may be offering. On the other hand, smiling while interacting with fellow workmates increases productivity as it ensures effective and efficient communication at the workplace thereby cultivating a good working relationship amongst the workers which in turn leads to increased productivity.

Besides smiling, the maintenance of a proper body posture is another non-verbal cue that could be beneficial in the work setting. In both the American and Japanese cultures, it has been observed that by maintaining an upright posture with your hands held at the back sends a welcoming message to any individual who may be willing to interact with you. On the other side, a hunched back with arms folded on the chest is likely to send an unapproachable kind of vibe that may deter prospective clients or colleagues from approaching the individual in question.

Authors take

Non-verbal business etiquette is easy to attain given that the required skills are easy to learn and require minimum effort. Irrespective of one's cultural heritage, there are specific conventional etiquette cues that could be applied in any instance. Through the proper observance of these non-verbal cues, it is possible to increase productivity and cohesion at your respective businesses. So, do you have what it takes to attain proficient business interaction skills? If not what changes could you make to achieve this?

Works Cited

Dunn, Cynthia Dickel. "Formal forms or verbal strategies? Politeness theory and Japanese business etiquette training." Journal of Pragmatics 43.15 (2011): 3643-3654.

Martin, Jeanette S., and Lillian H. Chaney. Global business etiquette: A guide to international communication and customs. ABC-CLIO, 2012.